Instrumentation

From tools for monitoring and sequencing DNA to the observatory that enabled the first detection of gravitational waves, Caltech has a rich history of developing instruments to tackle complex phenomena that others dared not approach. Caltech people recognize that the need for new instrumentation intensifies with each discovery that pushes the frontiers of human understanding. Your investment helps carry forward Caltech’s tradition of transformative science and technology, empowering scholars to invent tools that will propel scientific advances and benefit society.

HD 187123 b is Cam Buzard’s favorite planet. About 160 light years away in the constellation Cygnus, it circles a star about as massive as our sun—only so close that a year flies by in three days. It weighs more than 150 Earths and sizzles at about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Caltech geochemist John Eiler aims to reveal “the genetics of everything”—the history of each molecule in the natural world as written in its isotopic structure. What he finds out could have implications for ventures ranging from the study of meteorites to medical diagnosis and treatment.

The Caltech Associates Innovation in Education Fund helped associate professor of astronomy Dimitri Mawet introduce a new course for astronomy students and modernize the Cahill Optics Laboratory, where researchers experiment with the technology that will be used to explore the universe and search for life elsewhere.

“Caltech has a long history of going after the golden ring—going after the great discoveries—especially if they’re hard and if the payoff is enormous,” declares Kip Thorne (BS ’62), Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus.

After nearly five decades at Caltech, Tom Soifer is still smiling. The former Kent and Joyce Kresa Leadership Chair of the division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy (PMA) continues to advance our understanding of the universe by hunting for dust-obscured galaxies—DOGs—where others can’t see.

Nobel laureate Donald Glaser (PhD ’50) and his family have made a pair of significant commitments to the Caltech community. Scroll down for a slideshow of archival images that trace Glaser’s scientific path and highlight art and music inspired by his work.